13/07/2014 - PAD High End Proteus Provectus Hi Fi + Magazine Review
Hi Fi + Reviews Purist Audio Design's Proteus Provectus Interconnects, Nicholas Ripley, May 2014.
Purist Audio Design achieved notoriety for its
fluid filled cables. A quarter of a century later, it
is still making fluid damped cables, and Proteus
Provectus is fourth from the top of an 11 strong
interconnect range.
Purist Proteus Provectus is also part of what the
company calls its Praesto Revision, which entailed changes
to the metallurgy of the conductors, improved shielding andcosmetics, but as we didn't have a pre-Fraesto cable to
compare, this should be taken as read.
Proteus Provectus features a solid core 22AWG copper
conductor with a copper foil shield and drain wire connected
to the plug, The dielectric is standard pvc, although this is
subsequently fluid damped. The cable is nicely terminated
in rhodium-plated phono plugs, solidly built in a thick black
braided outer. The cable is triple ,Cryomag,-treated,
too: this means it is cryo-iced within a strong magnetic field.
Purist Proteus Provectus is also part of what the
company calls its Praesto Revision, which entailed changes
to the metallurgy of the conductors, improved shielding andcosmetics, but as we didn't have a pre-praesto cable to compare, this should be taken as read.
The gel-based damping does bestow a sense of calm
and flow to the sound that is hard to find in other cable
systems. As a consequence, it seems to push the boundaries
of the system slightly, making it capable of playing more
coherently at lower volumes and playing with a greater sense
of order when the volume is turned up. This does not mean it
pushes the point of clipping, but does mean the system will
maintain its composure when pushed. ln musical terms, this
means Prokovievs Cantata for the 2Oth Anniversary of the
October Revolution Fawnia, Chandos] can be played at Stalinist
levels without fear of disappearing.
This is also a highly 'faithful, sounding cable, far removed
from the immediate and forward sound of a lot of modern
designs. As a toe in the Purist waters (pun intended), this will
offer a sense of balance and order to sound, although if you
are more familiar with brighter and more forward sounding
cables in your system, and have built a system around that
premise, the Proteus may sound slightly laid-back.
Since the improvements fluid ed cables apply just as
much today as they did 25 years ago, purist Audio Design
clearly got it right the first time around. This is an excellent
cable that, to my mind, makes music sound like music.
Manufacturer: Purist Audio Design
U R L: www.puristaudiodesign.com
UK Distributor: Mackenzie HiFi
U R L: www.mackenziehifi.com
Iel +44(017905 362545)